Last year, I volunteered in my son's second grade class and each Monday morning, the children
would tell me about the previous Saturday's episode of Friday the 13th: The Series on television.

It was disturbing to hear these seven-year-old children describe the gory scenes of decapitated heads, bloody murders, frightening plots and graphic scenes of violence.

I decided to watch one of the shows because I couldn't believe that such explicit programs were allowed on TV. The scenes I watched were every bit as vivid as the children had described. One storyline dealt dealt with
a man who was cutting off people's heads with a scythe. Nothing was left to the viewer's
imagination and the final scene showed several graphic slashing deaths.

Friday the 13th: The Series comes on Saturday at 7 p.m. When I called Channel 13 to protest the early time, the told me that I was the only one who felt any concern. Even worse, they told me that, starting in October, Nightmare on Elmstreet: The Series, will follow
Friday the 13th at 8 p.m.

I feel that Channel 13 is irresponsible with their programming schedule. If they must have these shows on TV, then they should slot them later in the evening to
avoid the younger audience.

R.A.J.
Salt Lake City

[SOURCE: Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT). 4 October 1988.]

Art Chapman, TV Q&A (Box 1870, Fort Worth, TX, 76101)

Q: Please tell me how it is that shows like Friday the 13th and now, Nightmare on Elm Street are allowed on television. They are ripoffs of slasher movies and they have no business on television where they can be seen by thousands of children. Aren't there any rules against this kind of programming?

H.S.
Arlington

A: No, there aren't any rules against this kind of programming. In fact, if Nightmare enjoys the same kind of success Friday the 13th enjoyed, we might even see a few more just like them. But in fairness, the television show Friday the 13th is far from being a slasher show. It is
well produced and written and I think it has a good deal of entertainment value. The biggest mistake the producers made with this show was using the Friday the 13th title. It's far different from the movie. It's far better.